


Firehouse Coffee

by museaway



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Photographer, Alternate Universe - Twins, First Meetings, M/M, POV Outsider, Shiro Birthday Exchange 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-23 14:01:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23479339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/museaway/pseuds/museaway
Summary: When Kuron travels to Arizona to see his long-lost twin for the first time, he meets an enigmatic man in a coffee shop who seems to know an awful lot about his brother.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 34
Kudos: 176
Collections: Shiro Birthday Exchange 2020





	Firehouse Coffee

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lidoshka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lidoshka/gifts).



> I’ve been in fandom since 2001 and have never written a coffee shop AU. Time to fix that. 
> 
> Written as a pinch hit for Lidoshka for the 2020 Shiro Birthday Exchange. On behalf of mod jess (who beta read this!) and me, thank you so much for your contributions to the exchange. I included as much of your prompt as I could: an AU, Kuron and Shiro celebrating their birthday together, and Shiro introducing Kuron to people in his life. I hope you enjoy it. ♥
> 
> **About names:** Since this is an AU, instead of calling him Kuron, I went with the nickname Kuro. Kuro means black in Japanese (shiro means white). I like opposites. :-D

Kuro had been in the coffee shop for seven minutes, and the man behind the counter still hadn’t stopped staring.

It was probably because he was a stranger here. Small towns tended to be protective like that. He was used to people staring, usually locals who were curious what he did with such a large camera or what publication he worked for. They always seemed to guess _National Geographic_. Normally his answer didn’t impress them, but he often got an Instagram follower or two out of a trip.

This guy, though... Kuro didn’t think he was staring at the camera. Kuro had noticed the pleased shock on his face when he’d come through the door. The man had thought Kuro was someone else, which meant he was in the right cafe. He and Shiro—that’s what he’d said to call him—had agreed to meet here at eleven for coffee, and he’d mentioned it was his favorite spot.

The decor was minimal—black and white photographs of firefighters on exposed brick walls, and a brass pole in the corner. He didn’t see a staircase, so the pole was probably for show. From the outside, the shop didn’t look too different from a Starbucks, taking up the first floor of a three-story brick building. It didn’t have awnings like the buildings on either side. The spaces out front were taken and there’d been a line when Kuro got inside, but not the detached impatience he’d expected. People chatted with each other as they waited for their orders and waved through the windows to people walking past. Most of the tables were occupied. Like the guy behind the counter, those people stared at him with fascination, often looking at his hands before averting their eyes. Kuro didn’t know what to make of that.

He glanced at his watch. Still fifteen minutes to go. He’d been nervous about finding the place and had set out from the hotel earlier than needed. He’d thought about walking through the city, taking photos of the buildings, the sloping red mountains in the distance. There was a lot of space-age influence in the architecture here that his followers would eat up—he’d have to ask about touring the base—but his nerves had got the better of him.

He sipped his cafe mocha and scrolled through recent notifications. The account was up to 12.9k followers. He’d never imagined, buying that used Nikon off of a co-worker with his last $300 straight out of college, that he could turn photography into a career. He hadn’t thought a DNA test from an internet ad would turn up a lost twin, either.

He checked his watch again. Shiro wasn’t due for ten minutes. Kuro took another sip of his drink. It was good—strong, with just enough chocolate flavor. Not watered down or overly sweet like he tended to get at airports. He glanced to the counter to find the man staring. This time, the man looked down and away, snatching a rag to wipe down the counter, then took the next order. He didn’t look too much younger than Kuro, probably in his late twenties. A good looking man with dark hair pulled back into a short ponytail and an expression that was a little guarded. Was Shiro somehow involved with this guy? Or maybe they didn’t know each other well, and he thought a regular was being cold. That could explain why he’d frowned when Kuro put in his order with nothing more than a thanks.

That he could fix. He finished his drink and went up to the counter for another.

“This was really good,” he said when he reached the front of the line.

“Thanks,” the man said. He wasn’t wearing a nametag. “You look like you’re waiting for someone.”

“My brother,” Kuro said.

“Takashi Shirogane?”

Kuro nodded. “I wondered if you knew him. You seemed to recognize me.”

“Sorry.” The man tucked a stray piece of hair behind his ear. “I knew he had a twin, but I didn’t realize you’d look so similar. When you first walked in, I thought it was him.”

“I was surprised when I saw his picture. We just found out about each other. I did one of those geneology tests on a whim. You’re a friend of his?”

The man smiled. “Yeah, we’ve been friends for a long time.”

“How did you meet?“

“Technically we met when I was a recruit, but he doesn’t remember that. This place is pretty popular with the Garrison since we’re within walking distance to the base. He used to come in for dinner a couple times a week, so we got to know each other.”

“You serve food too?”

The man shrugged. “If I like who’s eating it. I’m Keith.”

“Kuro.”

They shook hands. Keith smiled a little and took his empty cup.

“Do you want another mocha, or do you want something different?”

“What’s the Five Alarm?”

“That’s our nitro. It’s a cold brew. We infuse it with nitrogen so it’s foamy. You want to try it?”

“I think I want something hot. What do you recommend?”

“I drink plain black coffee,” Keith said.

“Espresso then. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Nerves?”

“I never thought I’d get a brother in my thirties. Do you have siblings?”

Keith shook his head. “Only child.”

“Me too. Or, well, I was.”

When Kuro smiled, he couldn’t help notice the way Keith’s eyes softened. He was planning keep up the conversation and ask about good places to eat in town when he heard the door chimes. Keith’s eyes shifted to the door and his whole demeanor seemed to change, like he’d been plugged in.

“Your brother’s here,” Keith said, fighting down a smile. He motioned over Kuro’s shoulder with his chin, then turned around and busied himself making the espresso.

Kuro watched his back for a moment, then put a hand over his heart and turned around.

Even though he’d seen pictures of Shiro online, he hadn’t been prepared to meet someone who looked so much like him. Except for the military uniform, Shiro could’ve been his reflection. People in the room called out to him and he waved, tossing them friendly smiles, but returned his attention to Kuro. Once he’d overcome the shock, Kuro thrust out a hand.

Shiro surprised him by laughing and pulled him into a hug. “Find the place okay?”

“Yeah,” Kuro said, slapping Shiro on the back. They were the same height and build, though he immediately noticed Shiro’s right arm was a prosthesis.

“I have a table,” Kuro said, gesturing to where he’d left his things.

“Keith, double espresso?” Shiro called.

“Almost ready. It’ll be up in a sec.”

“You’re the best.” Shiro looked at his brother. “I hope you haven’t been waiting. I got caught in traffic coming off of the base. Graduation ceremony for the kids in bootcamp. You remember that, don’t you, Keith?”

“My fondest memory,” Keith said with no intonation. He came out from behind the counter with two espresso cups on a small lacquered tray. “On the house.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Kuro said, reaching for his wallet.

“It’s your birthday too, right?” Keith set down the cups and rubbed a couple fingerprints off of the table. “Happy birthday.”

“Thank you.” Kuro snapped a picture of the drink with his phone. “Is this place on Instagram so I can tag you?”

Keith told him the username and Kuro searched for the account.

“Firehouse is an odd name for a coffee shop. How did you land on that?”

“Keith’s dad was a firefighter,” Shiro said.

“Retired,” Keith said. “Now he makes coffee when I can get his ass in here. Let me know if you want anything else.”

He gave Shiro a fleeting smile before he went to check on another table. Kuro put his phone away and turned his attention to Shiro.

“So. Wow.”

“Yeah,” Shiro said, settling in his chair.

“You grew up out here?” Kuro said.

“Outside of Phoenix. I moved here when I enlisted.”

“Your family?”

“They still live up that way.”

“Did you tell them about me?”

“I called them after I got your message,” Shiro said. “What about you? You’re from Illinois?”

“The Windy City.”

“Is it really windy there?”

“Yeah, we get the breeze off of the lake. It’s pretty cold in the winter. How do you stand the summers out here?”

“By staying inside.” Shiro laughed. “It’s not so bad in the evenings, though. Keith and I go riding a lot.”

“Riding?”

“Hover bikes. We’ll have to take you while you’re here.”

“I’ve never ridden a bike.”

“You’ll like it out there. Good photos.”

“I’ll give it a try,” Kuro said. “I’ll do anything once. I jumped out of a plane last year. You’re a pilot, right? You’ve flown in space?”

“A few times. Lately just trips to the lunar base, but I piloted the first science mission to Kerberos when I was in my early twenties.”

“I remember hearing about that mission,” Kuro said, trying to remember the details. It had been all over the news. “There was some kind of malfunction on the return trip.”

He regretted those words as soon as they were out, but there was no way to stuff them back in. Shiro smiled and patted his prosthetic arm.

“You can ask about it. It doesn’t bother me.”

“Weren’t you afraid to keep flying?”

“I threw up the first time I stepped on a ship after that. I was going to take some time off, but Keith talked me into going back. His dad had a bad accident when Keith was a kid. Broke his neck when a rafter came down. He didn’t work for a year and when he tried going back, he couldn’t stand the flames. Keith was worried the same thing would happen to me, so he convinced me to see a therapist. And the riding helps.”

Kuro nodded slowly. “Do you have any upcoming trips?”

“Possibly. I’ve been offered a long-distance mission, but I wouldn’t be back for eighteen months, maybe longer. The timing isn’t great, but we’re talking about it. What about you? Your job sounds exciting.”

“I stay in a lot of motels,” Kuro said. “It _is_ interesting. I’ve been on every continent but Antarctica, and I get to meet all kinds of people. They always want to talk to you if you have a camera.”

“What do you get asked the most?”

Kuro laughed. “If I can take their picture.”

“Hey, we should take one,” Shiro said, getting out his phone. “Would you mind?”

“Not at all. Do you think Keith would take it for us?”

“Yeah. Keith?” Shiro called. The other people in the cafe didn’t look up, like they were used to this. Keith came over to their table wiping his hands.

“Did you drink those already?”

“Can you take our picture?” Shiro said.

Keith shook his head affectionately and swiped the phone from Shiro’s hand. He tapped it a few times to unlock it and directed them to move to Kuro’s side of the table to avoid glare from the window. Keith took a few shots and handed the phone back, returning to the counter to answer the shop line.

“So how long have you two known each other?” Kuro said.

“Me and Keith? Let’s see...I was still married when we met, so, eight years?”

“You were married?” Kuro said.

“That one didn’t last long. We met when I was in rehab.” Shiro patted his arm again. “My relationship before that one had ended because I accepted the mission, so it was a rebound.”

“You broke up because of the mission?”

Shiro nodded. “Most people were against me going. I have a degenerative disease. They can treat it now, but at the time there wasn’t much they could do. Looking back, maybe I was being reckless, but I didn’t think I had much time left.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t imagine ending things over that,” Kuro said. “And before you ask, no, I’m totally healthy.”

“Good.” Shiro simultaneously sighed and smiled. “And don’t be sorry. I’m a lot happier now.”

They talked for an hour, finishing their espressos and switching to an herbal tea blend Keith recommended with the grilled tofu sandwiches he’d made them in the back.

“I love you,” Shiro said, looking at the sandwich. Keith turned red and sank into the empty chair next to him.

“Hope you don’t mind plant-based food,” he said to Kuro. “Shiro’s on a special diet.”

“It looks great, thank you,” Kuro said sincerely. “You didn’t have to go to all the trouble.”

“You’re family,” Shiro said. He swallowed his first bite and wiped his mouth. “Hey, if you wouldn’t be opposed to it, we should drive up to Phoenix while you’re here. My parents would love to meet you. You wouldn’t mind, would you, Keith?”

“I could get my pop to cover the store for a couple days.”

“I’ve got plenty of leave saved up,” Shiro said.

“For a vacation,” Keith said. “No canceling this year.” He turned to Kuro. “Sorry about you being in a hotel, by the way. The base housing is microscopic and our couch is a piece of shit.”

“I thought you weren’t in the Garrison anymore?” Kuro said.

“I’m not, but…” Keith pointed to Shiro with his thumb. “My apartment got infested, so we’re crashing on base right now. We were gonna look at another apartment, but if he’s gonna be off planet for a couple of years, I might as well go back to my folks’ and save up.”

“Or you could come with me,” Shiro said.

Keith gestured around them. “What am I supposed to do about this place?”

“Your dad could handle it for two years. It was his before you took over.”

“I’m sorry, I’m confused,” Kuro said. “You two...live together?”

Keith and Shiro gave him matching cautious looks.

“Is that a problem?” Shiro said.

Kuro felt like he’d just stepped on a trap door, and that whatever he said next would mean the difference between walking across it safely or being impaled. “Why would it be a problem?” he said.

“Yeah, we live together,” Keith said. “When I opened this place, it was a hike coming from my parents’ house, so I rented a place nearby. He’s been sponging off of me for five years.”

“So you’re not...” Kuro rubbed his neck. “I’m sorry. The way you were talking just now, I thought maybe you were married.”

“Two years next month,” Shiro said without blinking.

Kuro laughed, thinking Shiro was teasing him, but when they didn’t join in, he quickly sobered. “Oh, you’re serious.”

Keith turned his phone around and showed Kuro a picture—the two of them in the desert in tuxes.

“Sorry we couldn’t invite you,” he said. “I can send you the album if you want to see the rest.”

Kuro’s chest felt stuffy. Three weeks ago, he’d learned that Shiro existed. Now he was looking at a photograph of the brother he barely knew, looking as happy as anyone could look, and felt like he might cry. He put a fist to his mouth so he could process everything.

“So you’re my brother-in-law?”

“Yup,” Keith said.

“You’ve got a nephew too,” Shiro said.

Kuro’s eyes widened. “What?”

“We have a dog,” Keith said. “He’s with my pop right now.”

“He is our _child_ ,” Shiro said, bringing up a picture of a wolf-like puppy with bluish-black fur. “Look at him. Have you ever seen a cuter face?”

“I love him,” Kuro said.

Keith looked at the two of them fixated on Shiro’s phone. “You two are definitely related. Not like there was any question.”

A delivery truck pulled up outside of the glass windows. Keith got up from the table.

“Finally,” he said. “I’ll be back.”

“Do you need help?” Shiro said.

“You two keep talking. Maybe I’ll close up early and we can run out to my dad’s place. Hey, see if we can get a third person added to our reservation tonight.”

“I don’t want to intrude on your plans,” Kuro said.

“You’re not.” Keith patted his shoulder and went outside to meet the driver. Through the windows, Kuro could see him laughing.

“You found a really great guy,” he said.

“He’s pretty incredible,” Shiro said. “Is there anyone in your life?”

“Nah. The only thing I leave behind is empty hotel rooms. You should take him with you.”

“Want to move to Arizona and run a coffee shop?”

The two things Kuro disliked most were heat and stagnation. He hadn’t called a place _home_ since he was twenty-one, and the jobs he’d quit after a week had all been food service. But he still imagined it, the pleasant scream of the espresso machine, standing behind the same counter day after day with a black apron around his waist. People greeting him by name. Maybe there’d be a day when he called for someone across the shop and no one would think twice about it. There were probably a couple publications in town he could shoot for.

“I’ll give it some thought,” he said. He picked up his mug and tapped it against Shiro’s. “Happy birthday.”

**Author's Note:**

> I love the idea of Keith being the most chill, yet easily flustered husband. :-D
> 
> Thank you to Jess for beta reading and cheerleading me as I worked on this last night (and for being an incredible co-mod). This was the fastest pinch of my life, even faster than [keeping rabbits](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19866019)! I think I will celebrate by watching something happy with the dogs.
> 
> Thank you for reading this far. If you're on Twitter, [please come say hi](https://twitter.com/museawayfic)!


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